Letter and document distributer.



P. BRISTOW.

LETTER AND DOGUMENT DISTRIBUTER.

uruouxon TILED mm. 22, non.

933, 1 56, Patented Sept. 7, 1909. 2 sums-sum 1.

Patented Sept. 7, 1909. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

F. BRISTOW. LETTER AND DGGUHBNT DIBTBIBUTEB.

APPLICATION FILED D30. 22, 190B.

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LETTER AND DOCUMENT DISTRIBUTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 22, 1908.

Patented Sept. 7, 1909.

Serial No. 468,772.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatVI, Fnnnnmon BRISTOW, a citizen of the United States, residing in East Orange, county of Essex,and State of New Jersey, have made a new and useful Invention in Letter and Document Distributors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is directed particularly to an improvement upon a prior invention disclosed in Letters Patent No. 753,538, granted to me by the U. S. Patent Ofiice on the 1st day of March, 1904, and it has for its obects, first, to provide a portable letter and document distributor or memorandum rack of the character indicated in the before-mentioned patent which shall be so constructed as to be collapsible; that is to say, of such a nature that the radially disposed dividing partitions of the distributer may be folded up in close relation to each other in such manner as to enable one to place the entire distributer and the contents held therein in a more compact form, in order that it may be stored away in a closet, safe, or file holder, and also to prevent when thus folded up the accumulation of dust or dirt upon the contents held therein. Second, to provide means whereby the entire device may be folded up in a compact condition and easily transported from p ace to place as thus folded. bird, to provide novel means for carrying a device of this nature, said means in its preferred form constitutin at one and the same time a means for loc ing or holdingrthe parts in their folded condition.

or a full and clear understanding of my invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to construct and use the same, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete device the outside pair of radially disposed dividing artitions being broken off at their outer e ges. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view takenthrough Figs. 3 and 4 on the lines YY and as seen looking thereat from ri ht to left in the direction of the arrows. ig. 3 is an end elevational View as seen looking at Fig. 1 in either direction. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken through Fig. 1 on the line XX and as seen looking thereat from right to left in the direction of the arrows, upon the assumption that all of the dividing partitions on the right of the line Y-Y are held in vertical osition so as to thereby permit of the storing of the device and its contents in a closet or permanent file holder. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view illustrating the pivotal means of support for the radially disposed dividing partitions. Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of the complete device upon a small scale illustrating the invention in its folded form, together with the means of looking or clasping the dividing partitions together at their upper edges, and the means of carrying the entire device, a portion of one of the outside partitions being shown in sectional View, said outside part1- tions being also illustrated in this view as of greater thickness and strength than are the other partitions.

In the before-mentioned patent the dividing partitions were of flexible material and were held in a series of grooves located in a semi-cylindrical or semi-elliptical body part, and this body part in turn secured directly to a wooden base, the entire structure being of a very simple nature and not capable of being utilized to the best possible advantage, in so far as the requirements of space are concerned, when it is desired to temporarily store it away, as in a locked closet or file holder.

Referring now to the drawings I will describe in particular the details of my im provement, like letters of reference representing like parts wherever used.

B, B represent two semi-cylindrical or semi-elliptical end plates made preferably of cast metal, as clearly indicated in end view Fig. 3 and in sectional view Fig. 2. These end plates are provided each with a. curvilinear groove on the inner face adapted to receive the ends of a series of wooden supporting strips E, E, which, when located with their opposite ends in the aforesaid grooves of the end plates B, B, constitute as a whole the semi-cylindrical or semi-elliptical base for supporting)the radially disposed dividing partitions D, D. These wooden are so formed that when placed in position the spaces between them constitute grooves C, C, adapted to receive a series of thin metallic strips F, F, extending practically the entire length of the wooden strips and rovided on their outer edges with a plurahty of over-turned hooks H, there being shown in each instance two pairs of such hooks for each strip with the supporting strips hooked ends thereof turned respectively in opposite directions and the entire structural arrangement such that when these strips are secured in position between the end plates B, B, through the agency of three or more bolts G, G, G, there will be formed a rigid base or support which will be of the most compact nature and in which there will be thus arranged on the outer surface of the curvilinear base a series of sets of hooks H, H, H, H, as before stated, which will constitute the pivotal supports for the radially disposed partitions D, D, D, D, each of which partitions is provided at its lower edge with a corresponding number of oblong holes I, I, adapted to be hooked over the hooks H, it being apparent that said partitions may be secured in position in the maner shown in Fig. 2 and removed at will. J, J are chains or cords located at the opposite ends of the partitions, there being one pair of such chains or cords for each partition, which chains are connected directly thereto at one end through holes or openings, the other end thereof being secured through hooks and eyes, or in any preferred way with the end plates B, B or the strips E, E, so that said partitions, as will be apparent on inspection of Figs. 3 and 4, are yieldingly held and may be tilted in opposite directions, the chains being so located with respect to the partitions and the end plates that when they are all in position for use they will hold the partitions in such manner as to constitute radially disposed chambers for the distribution of letters, manuscript, papers, etc, in the same manner as described in my before-mentioned patent. By thus pivotally supporting a. plurality of radially disposed partitions upon a curvilinear base and with their lower edges at definite distances from each other and securing the same in their radial position to the base, or any part of the stationary elements thereof by chains, cords or the like, in the manner shown, I produce a letter or document distributer in which the individual chambers between the dividing partitions are of such form as not to wedge the documents in any one chamber and in uch a way as to permit at all times of the easy removal of such documents, the spaced separations of the bottoms of the dividing partitrons giving this greatly desired effect, while the chains secured at their outer ends directly to said partitions, and at their lower ends to the base. tend to give to the lower ends of the chambers more rigidity than was possible with the yielding dividing partitions as held in place in the curvilinear base disclosed in my before-mentioned patent.

It will be understood, of course, that if preferred one or more of the partitions D may be unhooked or disconnected from the supporting hinges H, H, and the correspond 7 claims hereinafter made.

ing chains or cords J, J, so that the chambers between the dividing partitions may be enlarged or varied to suit the required conditions.

L, L, L represent feet cast integral with the end plates B, B, said feet being preferably provided with the usual rubber cushions on the bottoms for yieldingly supporting the device upon a table or counter.

K is an indicator card for specifically indicating the use, distribution, or other urose of the contents of each chamber 0 the evice, there being one such card on each end plate having the conformation or shape thereof, the special character of the contents of each chamber (the use, distribution, or other purpose) being printed or otherwise indicated on the outer faces of these cards, which cards may be secured directly to the wooden strips E by forcing the tacks P through the cards and holes in the end plates B, B and into the wooden strips E, E; or said cards may be secured to the outer faces of the end plates B, B, by glass or other transparent means held in any preferred wa 1 h Fig. 5 of the drawin s I have illustrated in detail and in en arged sectional View the lower edge of one of the dividing partitions D and the manner of pivotally securing it to the hooks H on the outer edges of the metallic strips F frictionally held between the wooden strips E, as clearly shown in Fi 4.

In *ig. 6 of the drawings I have illustrated the manner of holding the entire de- Vice in a folded or collapsed form, showin also how when thus rendered colla sible it may be transported from place to p ace. In this view of the drawings the outer partitions D, D are made preferably of heavier material, one of which is provided at its outer edge near the center thereof with a turned-over hinge O to which is pivot-ally secured either a steel wire or strip S, which wire or strip is provided at its other end with a hook T adapted to be snapped into an opening in the corresponding upper edge of the other partition D, as clearly illustrated, R being a handle by which the entire device may be transported from place to lace. Obviously a padlock may be provi ed, if preferred, by which the wire or strip S may be locked directly to the corresponding partition D.

I do not limit my invention to the especial details of construction shown in the accompanying drawings, as a number of the features thereof may be materially departed from and still come within the scope of my I believe it is broadly new with me to pivotally support a series of dividing partitions upon a curvilinear base and to sustain them in radial positions as thus pivoted by means of chains which will permit of the collapsibility of the entire device in the manner shown in Figs. 4 and 6, and my claims are to be construed as of the most generic nature in this respect. I believe it is also broadly new with me to provide means for the folding up or placing of a letter and document distributer of the character indicated in a compact form when it is desired to place it either in this compact form in some safe location, or to transport it from place to place and my claims are generic as to this feature.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A portable memorandum rack embracing a pair of end plates; :1 series of supporting strips held between the same; a series of hinge strips held by the supporting strips, and a series of partitions pivotally attached to the hinge strlps; together with means for yieldingly holding the partitions in radial relation, substantially as described.

2. A portable memorandum rack embracing a series of radially disposed partitions pivotally secured to a base and provided with additional means for yieldingly supporting them in such radia position, sald partitions being Wholly detachable from the base, whereby the capacit chambers may be varie described.

3. A portable memorandum rack embracing a pair of end plates; a series of supporting strips held between the same; a series of hinge strips held by the supporting strips, and a series of partitions pivotally attached to the hinge strips; together with means for yieldingly holdin the partitions in radial relation, and additional means for holding substantially as of the individual 1 them in collapsed or closed position, substantially as described.

4. A portable memorandum rack embracing a pair of end plates; a series of supporting strips held between the same; a plurality of bolts for securing the end plates against the ends of the supporting strips; a series of hinge strips held between the supporting strips, and a series of partitions pivotally attached to the hinge strips; in combination with chains, one for each partition, said chains being adapted to hold the several partitions in radial relation; together with means for holding all of the partitions in collapsed or closed position, and additional means in the nature of a handle for enabling one to transport the rack from place to place, substantially as described.

5. A portable memorandum rack embracing a pair of end plates; a series of supporting strips held between the same; a series of hinge strips held between the supporting strips; a series of partitions pivotally secured to the hinge strips; in combination with means in the nature of chains for holding the partitions in radial positions; together with means for holding the outer edges of said partitions in collapsed or closed position, and additional means in the nature of a handle for enabling one to transport the rack from place to place, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK BRISTOVV.

Witnesses:

C. J. KINTNER, Fnnn L. VAN VOLKENBURGH. 

